Open canvassing ends with massive road shows on last day

Jalandhar, May 17 : Open canvassing to attract voters to their sides, ended with massive road shows organized by almost all the candidates on the last day of open canvassing on Friday for the Lok Sabha polls of all the 13 seats of Punjab. The candidates immediate after the open canvassing came to end started door to door campaigning to contact and meet the people personally.There are 278 candidates including 24 women candidates in the fray for all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state which will go to polls on Sunday. Total eligible voters in the state are 20892674 of which 11059828 are male and 9232286 are female voters whereas 560 are gender voters. 23213 polling stations have been set up for the voters to use their right to franchise.The candidates today faced light to mild rains during their road shows organized by their supporters and party workers as it started in the early morning to last at about 1500 hrs nearly in all the parliamentary constituencies.The candidates after the open canvassing came to end this evening started managing leaders of various social organizations, hut dwellers, employees unions, dalit organizations, Christian community and labor organizations to seek votes in bulk distributing money and liquor.As less than 48 hours have left for polling, and considering this period, the most crucial one for them to do or die, the candidates are making last ditch efforts to woo voters by hook or crook. They are visiting the colonies, sites, slum areas to beg votes using influence of everything they see fit to attract voters in their side.The police all over the state had tightened noose to curb the practice of distribution of money and liquor by setting up nakas at all the significant points across the state, but even then, the candidates and their poll managers and even the event managers have been not only arranging meetings with the people having influence over the large number of electorates.The last day of open campaign was full of road shows throughout the state.In Jalandhar congress candidate Chaudhary Santokh Singh organized an impressive road show in the afternoon with large number of congress workers and party supporters besides youth congress activists.SAD candidate Charanjit Singh Atwal also held a road show in the morning.Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal took out road show at Nabha in favor of AAP candidate Neena Mittal. Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia held road show in Ludhiana. Bhagwant Mann (AAP)canvassed for self in Barnala assembly segment of Sangrur Parliamentary constituency riding over a bicycle that too while it was raining.In Bathinda, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Manpreet Badal held road show for congress candidate Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.In Gurdaspur BJP candidate Sunny Deol held meetings with his supporters and his actor father Da Dharmendra met people at Sarna, near Pathankot.Sukhbir Badal addressed a public rally at Ferozepur in his own support. (UNI)